Oct. 7, 2000 -
Local Spanish radio is coming to Denver's KVOD-1280 AM classical station, and the classical sounds of KVOD are moving up the dial to Colorado Public Radio's newest acquisition at 1340 AM.

The moves represent the latest in a flurry of changes at Denver radio stations.

"The thing about public radio is that it's permanent," said Max Wycisk, president of Colorado Public Radio, describing the organization's recent $4.2 million purchase of 1340 AM from the Catholic Radio Network. "We are not offering the format of the month. We are committed to classical music and in-depth news and we are not going to change that commitment. KVOD1340 AM gives us more opportunity to continue our classical programming."

The 1,000-watt KVOD-1340 AM will play 24 hours of classical music a day and will be heard along the Front Range. Colorado Public Radio's FM programming, which airs in Denver, Grand Junction, Montrose, Pueblo and Vail, will not change.

The Denver businessman who last year sold KBNO, Denver's oldest Spanish radio station, is bringing the station back to the airwaves, this time a few clicks up from its old 1220 AM spot on the dial.

Zee Ferrufino, a founder of the Denver Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and a respected Denver businessman, has filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission to buy KVOD-1280 AM.

Both Ferrufino and Colorado Public Radio expect to have the new stations broadcasting immediately upon the FCC's approval of the sales.

The Justice Department in August required the sale of KVOD along with four other local stations when it approved the $23.8 billion merger of Clear Channel Communications Inc., KVOD's owner, with AMFM Inc., the nation's largest radio broadcaster.

The August agreement required both broadcasters to sell a total of 99 radio stations in 27 markets.

"I was very happy when KVOD was put on the market because there are not that many strong stations out there," said Ferrufino, declining to offer details of the sale. "Just say we paid a good price."

After finalizing the sale of KBNO-1220 AM last September to Crawford Broadcasting, Ferrufino began searching for another station. He kept the money from the sale in escrow as he shopped for a new spot on the AM dial. His KBNO station was powered by only 660 watts during the day and a mere 11 watts at night, he said. The new KBNO-1280 AM will boast 5,000 watts day and night.

The new KBNO station will be the second locally-owned Spanish-language station in Denver. Spanish-language KJME-1390 AM, plays a mix of modern and traditional Mexican music at 5,000 watts, reaching from Cheyenne to Colorado Springs. Two other Spanish stations are simulcast from Southern California and Miami. The new station will give Denver's Hispanic community more choice, Ferrufino said.
Filling a need

"I'm a big believer in choice," he said, promising local programming aimed at the Denver metro area's growing population of more than 60,000 Hispanic residents. "I believe that being locally owned, we will know best the needs of the Hispanic community. There's a pent-up demand because there's only one locally-owned and operated station in Denver right now. There is a need for at least one more."

Ferrufino said he will revive the KBNO scholarship program, which helped listeners get high school diplomas. The new station will also resume broadcast of a daily community calendar of Hispanic events around the city.

Ferrufino will also rebuild the station's nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting Hispanic event and recreational amenities around Denver.

"These are the things we will do because no one is doing it now," he said. "I believe a radio station is not just about business but also about providing services to the community."

Wycisk of Colorado Public Radio said there will be no change in the KCFR-90.1 FM format for now, but listeners will be "consulted over the next several months" on how to best configure the stations. It is possible that news and information programming could end up on the AM sta tion and classical music could end up on the higher fidelity FM.

"We wanted to make sure there would always be a full-time classical music station in the market," said Wycisk. "We are rock solid in our commitment to both in-depth news and music."

For now, the 1340 format will be all classical, including performances by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Opera Colorado, Central City Opera, Friends of Chamber Music and others. Charlie Samson, program director of the earlier classical KVOD, will serve in the same capacity. Historically, the switch marks a return to an early era in Denver broadcasting. The 1340 frequency was the original Ed Koepke-Gene Amole station in 1956.

The two-channel approach has been a six-year process, Wycisk said.

Denver Post Radio-TV Critic Joanne Ostrow contributed to this story.

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